Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Las Vegas, exhibitors looking to cash in on CES

With just three days to go before the opening of the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, out of town attendees and local executives are counting on a financial windfall from the event.

CES, which runs Thursday through Sunday, is expected to draw 110,000 attendees and serves as a showcase for exhibitors to pitch their wares to corporate buyers, manufacturers, suppliers and other industry executives.

"We have been in development for about a year," William Duncan, chief executive of Colorado-based iMuse Electronics Inc., said of the company's new product, the iAplayer. "It's time to come to market with it. ... (CES) is a big show. There's going to be a lot of people there. We're trying to establish awareness."

The iAplayer is a receiver that connects home audio systems to Internet music stations without the use of a personal computer.

In addition to exposure, Duncan said he's looking to gain a better grasp of new technological advances in computer-based audio streaming technology and possibly forge partnerships with other companies.

"Networking is very important," he said.

Rich LaFontaine said you don't have to be a technology expert to enjoy the benefit of CES. The general manager of Las Vegas Trikes, manufacturer of high-end, three-wheeled vehicles, struck a deal with a show exhibitor to serve as a prop for its exhibit hall display.

The Las Vegas company is working with Florida-based Liteglow Industries Inc. to display that company's automotive neon lighting kits during CES. La Fontaine said it is a unique opportunity to be seen.

"We realize that our target audience is more than just motorcycle or hot rod enthusiasts," LaFontaine said. "It's very broad. CES is just a great venue to show off our product."

He added that it also will be an opportunity to make contacts with other companies active in manufacturing after-market products that could be a smart fit for the unique vehicles.

"It's just a good place to do business," he said.

CES also pumps millions of dollars in the Las Vegas economy, said Rob Powers, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The four-day convention, which runs Jan. 8-11, is expected to generate $150 million in non-gaming economic impact for the valley.

"It's a significant economic boost for the community," he said, adding that attendance could go higher and drive up the impact.

"The 110,000 attendees, there could be more than that," Powers said. "Last year they were expecting 100,000 and ended up with 117,000."

CES officials said registration will be open until early next week, and the 110,000 figure was based on pre-registration figures.

"There's still time to register," said Lisa Fasold, spokeswoman for the Consumer Electronics Association, producer and manager of the show.

Even if the attendance figures do not rise this year, Powers said the benefit to the community goes far beyond the local spending of attendees.

"There are several hundred reporters credentialed for the show," he said. "The media coverage is just incredible. That means thousands of stories with Las Vegas datelines. It's hard to put a value on that exposure."

Fasold said the attraction is rooted in a fascination with the latest and greatest in consumer electronics. Over the show's history, the exhibit floor has seen trend after trend come and go, from the portable "boom box" stereos to the increasingly archaic video cassette recorders.

Those once-popular pieces of equipment have given way to mp3 music players and DVD recorders.

Fasold said the 2004 show will feature a heavy dose of automobile-related electronics, from car stereos that allow users to download CD music onto an on-board hard drive as well as the latest advances in the rapidly evolving on-board DVD players and displays.

The show floor also will be heavy on the newest plasma and LCD display television monitors. Other new technologies on display will include wireless Internet access devices and digital photography.

Ultimately, Fasold described the show as a look into the future.

"What you're going to see in January is what is going to be on retailers' shelves for next Christmas," Fasold said.

While the show's attendance is down from the record 126,000 attendees it drew in 2001, and the 122,000 that arrived in 2000, it is up nicely since it fell to 97,000 in 2002 after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

It also has fared well while the legendary technology convention Comdex has seen attendance plummet.

Fasold credited the health of CES to a broader appeal for attendees.

"CES is a very broad show in its focus," Fasold said. "We're the largest mobile electronics show. We're the largest wireless show. We're the largest high-end audio show."

She also said CES has been highly successful in marketing itself to related industries. Hotels, airlines and automakers all attend to determine which products to incorporate in their projects and lines.

"We've enjoyed a lot of success in attracting interest from a variety of industries," she said.

Exhibitors agree.

"It's the perfect opportunity to get products in front of so many retailers," said Alicia Thomas, spokeswoman for Texas-based CellStar Corp., a distributor for major cellular telephone manufacturers. "It's the best show."

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